Aug 29, 2018 3 min read

North Strabane Township took a step toward construction of a new fire sub-station Tuesday when supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of an 81-acre property in Eighty Four for $1 million.

The township plans to pay for the property, situated in the 1000 block of Route 519 near the Christy Road intersection, using a portion of the $10 million bond the township floated last year for the new building project.

In addition, supervisors authorized township manager Andrew Walz to start the process of floating a second bond, for up to $16 million, with final approval for anything over $10 million, to finance new building construction, including the substation and the public safety building.

The loan will be secured through Piper Jaffray LLC.

The new fire sub-station will replace a small, outdated one on Thomas Eighty Four Road that was recently sold.

Supervisors also approved hiring Regola Consulting LLC at a cost of $3,000 a month to secure federal and state grants for various infrastructure, public safety and parks projects in the township.

In another matter, supervisors tabled an amendment to the grading ordinance that would limit the maximum permissible slope to 4:1, or 3:1 with a soil stability analysis and geotechnical plan.

Last week, the township held a public hearing on the proposed ordinance amendment, which was opposed by several developers and landowners who called the ordinance too restrictive.

Supervisors Tuesday approved seeking a recommendation on the slope issue from an independent, third-party engineering company.

The proposed ordinance comes after three Majestic Hills homes have been deemed uninhabitable following a June 19 landslide.

Township engineer Joe Sites of Gateway Engineers said last week the houses were deemed “uninhabitable” and “unsafe,” and last week supervisors gave authorization to begin the condemnation process on the homes, which will be torn down.

However, supervisor Robert Balogh said at that meeting part of the reason for updating the ordinance is the amount of flooding the township has experienced in the past two years.

Township solicitor Gary Sweat said the township plans to work as quickly as possible to obtain the recommendation for an independent engineering company so it can reach a decision on the ordinance.

A 4:1 ratio represents a 14-degree slope, while a 3:1 ratio would be an 18-degree slope. The current ratio is 1.5:1 with a geotechnical plan, which is a 33-degree slope.

Stephen Victor, an architect for Victor-Wetzel Associates, said because a significant portion of North Strabane Township has slopes between 18 and 22 percent, the ordinance would have an economic impact and would stop development and reduce land values.